George Williams, the head of Health Workers Association for Liberia, confirmed the attack. He also said the unit housed 29 patients who “had all tested positive for Ebola” and were receiving treatment for it.

Residents opposed the construction of the quarantine center, leading one to say, “We told them not to (build) their camp here. They didn’t listen to us. We don’t believe in this Ebola outbreak.”

According to the BBC‘s Will Ross, this attack was a major setback to halting the Ebola outbreak.

Advertisement - story continues below

A senior police officer told BBC News:

This is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen in my life…All between the houses you could see people fleeing with items looted from the patients.